NBA All-Star Game report: Point guards take center stage

NEW YORK - In the most recent example of how strong the point guard position has become, each All-Star team had four point guards on the roster, with several more worthy of a place in the All-Star Game.

Fittingly, a point guard was the best player in Sunday's All-Star Game as the Thunder's Russell Westbrook scored a game-high 41 points to lead the West to a 163-158 victory over the East and take home MVP honors.

"In this league, in this era right now, it's tough for point guards," Washington's John Wall said. "It's a great era for point guards."

More than tough, the Clippers' Chris Paul said, it is "the toughest position in the league right now, toughest position in the league night in and night out."

"For most teams, the point guard is going to be that go-to player," said Paul, who had a game-high 15 assists Sunday.

"It's challenging, but it's fun. It's what we do. It makes you more competitive."

3-pointers arethe newest rage

In the latest showing of how much the NBA has become an outside-inside league, the All-Star Game set a record for the most 3-pointers - shattering the mark set last year.

The teams combined to make 48 shots from beyond the arc, with the West hitting 25 of 65 and the East making 23 of 68. The previous mark was only 30.

Atlanta's Kyle Korver (East) and the Rockets' James Harden (West) both finished 7-for-12 shooting from 3-point range to lead the way.

Cousins 'excited' to play for Karl

When Kings center DeMarcus Cousins reports back to Sacramento, he will have his third coach of the season and fifth in his five NBA seasons.

Cousins would not discuss his feelings about the early-season firing of Mike Malone but has seemed open to the idea of playing for the newly hired George Karl

"It doesn't really matter how I feel about it," Cousins said. "It happened. All we can do is move forward from it. It really doesn't matter how we feel about it."

There had been reports that Cousins objected to the Kings hiring Karl, an idea he disputed last week. He said he is "excited" to work for him, calling the remainder of the season a training camp for next season.

"I don't know him personally, but I do know he's a great coach," Cousins said. "I know he's a Hall of Fame coach. That right there I'm excited about that. (Teammate) Reggie Evans played for him in Denver. Reggie says he's a great coach. He's excited, I'm excited, the team is excited."

LeBron, Cavs finally clicking

Although the Cavaliers struggled through much of the first two months of the season, especially in a stretch when LeBron James was out, James said he never thought they would mesh quickly.

"Sometimes in sports, everyone wants instant success," James said. "I understand, being part of the process before, that it takes time. It takes time for a team to jell, especially for a new team … to come together and build camaraderie. That's exactly what we were going through. We were going through early-season struggles because we didn't know each other both on the floor and off the floor.

"Over the last month or so, it's clicked. I think it has a lot to do with us gaining each other's trust, learning each other, and I think we've been playing really good basketball, winning 14 out of our last 16 before the break."

Big issues await players' union

Newly elected players' union vice president LeBron James said he was not ready to discuss the association's agenda.

The union has rejected an NBA proposal to phase in the dramatic increase in the salary cap that will come with the start of the new television contracts in 2016-17.

Executive director Michele Roberts has said any consideration of increasing the age requirement for players would be a non-starter.

But James would not discuss other issues and said he does not advocate changes in the game itself.

"We'll have a game plan," he said. "It's not the time or the place to discuss what we need to do as a union. We need to get to those matters when it's time. It's very important. It's going to be a very important negotiation and process. I think I'm a big part of the process. It's good to be vice president of the players' association, (with) Chris Paul as the president, (and) Michele Roberts is obviously the commander in chief."